Objective-We aimed to establish an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring soluble elastin fragments (sELAF) in serum and to reveal its usefulness in diagnosing acute aortic dissection (AAD). Methods and Results-An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure sELAF in serum was developed by using the newly created double monoclonal antibodies, which recognize the different epitopes of human aortic elastin. Twenty-five AAD patients, 50 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and 474 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. The sELAF levels from healthy subjects gradually increased with aging. When the cutoff point for positivity was set at the meanϩ3 SD (ie, 3 SD above the mean in healthy subjects at each age), 16 AAD patients (64.0%) were found be positive, whereas only 1 AMI patient was found to be positive (2.0%). AAD patients with either an open or a partially open pseudolumen were found be 88.9% positive for sELAF, whereas those with its early closure were 0% positive. The difference in the sELAF levels between AAD patients with and without a thrombotic closure of false lumen was significant (60.3Ϯ15.6 versus 135.4Ϯ53.2 ng/mL, respectively; PϽ0.005). Key Words: matrix protein Ⅲ elastin degradation Ⅲ aortic media Ⅲ intimal tear Ⅲ false lumen A cute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening medical emergency of the aorta that is associated with a high mortality. In AAD patients who do not receive immediate treatment, mortality is estimated to be 35% within the initial 24 hours, 50% within 48 hours, and 80% after 2 weeks. 1
Conclusions-The